The Yankees are in the midst of a summer slump. Some refer to it as the “Boone June Swoon,” but the worst they can be is one game under .500 in the month of June if they lose tonight. In fact, it’s been July where most of the Yankees’ summer struggles in recent seasons have come. Oh, July 1st is tomorrow.
Offensive and Defensive Slump
The Yankees have once again made history, though this is not the good kind. Over the past four games, the Yankees have scored a maximum of four runs in each contest for the first time in franchise history. Ben Rice has a .632 OPS in June and is currently in the midst of a 4 for 39 slump. Cody Bellinger has not been much better, with a .663 OPS in June. With Aaron Judge out of the Yankees lineup due to injury, Rice and Bellinger were counted on to take up a big chunk of the offense, and so far that’s been a miss.
The offense has not been helped with Trent Grisham and Ryan McMahon both suffering injuries or illnesses meriting an IL stint. The good thing for those two is they will begin a rehab assignment with AA Somerset Wednesday and be activated Friday ahead of the series against the Twins. Say what you will about McMahon’s offense; he’s had success going to the opposite field, and his defense has been missed a lot.
The Yankees have also given up 17 unearned runs in the past nine games, which is not helping the situation. Without McMahon, the defense at third base has been a complete mess, with errors leading to runs coming from three different players at the position. The unearned runs are putting the team behind the eight-ball and making each game an uphill climb offensively.
Starting Pitching Slump
The defensive lapses have trickled down to the starting rotation. It’s an uphill climb for the offense, but it’s giving the pitcher extra outs to get in an inning. Last Thursday in Boston, the Yankees committed four errors and gave the Red Sox a ton of extra outs in the game, leading to a two-run lead becoming a two-run deficit in a hurry.
The starting rotation is also not to blame. Will Warren and Gerrit Cole have both been rocked in their last two outings, giving the team little chance to win. Warren seems to have issues getting out lefties as of late and did not record a single strikeout in his outing against Boston, and Cole could not find a put-away pitch. The good news for Cole is he seemed to find something over his final innings against Boston, which should carry over into his outing Friday against the Twins, but it was too little too late.
Add all that with Ryan Weathers getting knocked around the park by the Tigers Monday night, and the Yankees are searching for stability. The bullpen has been solid as of late, but they have been taxed due to the short outings from the rotation.
Fixes for the Yankees’ Issues
The key to the Yankees’ stabilizing is health. They are getting some contributors back Friday, which should take some pressure off Bellinger and Rice, who really started to slide when Grisham went down. Max Fried also threw a live session at Yankee Stadium, improving from his bone bruise injury that has him sidelined. Fried is still a ways off, but it’s a good sign for his progression.
Max Fried gets Trent Grisham swinging, and Aaron Boone is fired up. pic.twitter.com/TTvwY0mwDd
— Brendan Kuty 🧟♂️ (@BrendanKutyNJ) June 30, 2026
The Yankees also just need to play clean baseball. Make the defensive plays. Get on base, play some small ball and move runners home, and put pressure on the other pitchers. The Yankees are easy outs right now, and that needs to change if they want to win some ballgames. If the Yankees get back to the basics, pitch well, and play clean, the team will be back on track in no time.
Main Image Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
